NIMBLE ENOUGH FOR   SNAKING   PORTUGUESE   ROADS

The rise of the SUV means the A6 sedan isn’t Audi’s best-selling vehicle anymore; that honor goes to the Q5.

So why is the A6 so important to the German automaker when the luxury midsize sedan segment is cratering? This fifth-generation A6, known internally as C8, matters because Audi thinks midsize sedans still matter, and adroit driving dynamics in a sedan will never get old. A6 project leader Christian König describes the A6 as the versatile soul of the brand—a car that offers comfort to the Europeans, sportiness to North America, and status in China.

We got our first drive in some European-spec A6s in the craggy hills of the Douro Valley about